Century old tearoom in a lovely old building
- 105 Chatham Street, Colombo 01
- Open Mon-Sat 7:30am-5:30pm [closed Sundays]
- +94 112 323 086
Old School Bakery
Located in the lovely De Mel Building that dates all the way back to 1884, this no-frills place knows its classics. It used to be - and still is - a popular choice for businessmen working in the Fort area, who come here for pastries, baked goodies and short eats. Their chocolate cake, eclairs and cream buns still taste the same as 50 years ago.
De Mel Building
De Mel with its high ceilings, beautiful carvings with original arcade was one of the tallest buildings in Colombo when it was built in 1870. Sir Henry De Mel used it as the head office of the family company that managed more than 4,000 coconut estates. The building is still the company head office and is still in the same family with Pagoda as a loyal tenant.
Fort may change, but Pagoda Tea Room will always remain the same
What Locals Like
We liked the prawn rolls and stuffed chillies. They also do an excellent chicken lamprais, a Dutch-influenced Sri Lankan original, a banana-leaf package of rice, meat curry, eggplant, cutlet (a kind of meatball) and shrimp paste, which costs Rs. 400.
Hungry like a Wolf?
Duran Duran filmed its classic 1980s video for that very song in this esteemed establishment.